Author name: Lil Dino Mommy

From Baby to Toddler

My Big Ole One Year Old!

My son turns 1 year old here in a couple weeks. As my husband said today, “I’m in denial.” Watching him grow up from a newborn to this newfound toddler stage has been such a joy, even though sometimes it makes me tear up. Time is just passing so quickly!

Moments I Could Have Missed…

Please Just Go To Sleep

Tonight my son had a difficult time going to sleep. We started his bedtime routine on time just as we do each night, and went through our whole process. It took him almost an hour longer to fall asleep than usual. Any parent reading this I’m sure has also pleaded in weariness, “Why is this happening to me?”

As a first time Momma, I’ve read a lot in an effort to learn about babies and sleep. In the spirit of full disclosure, I definitely wasn’t following many of the suggestions that have been given on this particular night. We’ve been going through quite a transition lately because we are in the process of moving. The routine is all over the place and despite my best efforts to maintain consistency for my baby’s sake, some days it just hasn’t been possible.

Falling in Love with Cloth Diapering

Falling in LOVE with Cloth Diapers

I absolutely LOVE cloth diapering. I never imagined how much I would enjoy it! I mean, they are diapers after all.
How it All Got Started

My husband and I decided the summer before my son was born to go the cloth diaper route. Initially my reason for looking into it was cost savings.

Before researching cloth diapers, I was doing a cost analysis of a list I had made for everything I thought we needed for the baby. I actually researched approximately how many diapers we might need in the first year and the cost was staggering. It was something like $1,500. Wowza!

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. LOL!

Early Morning Adventure

Two mornings ago, around 4:30, I was putting my son back to sleep after a feeding. He fell asleep quickly, and I laid him in his crib. I then proceeded to get a drink of water and use the bathroom. After washing my hands, I was suddenly very aware of how dry they were.

By the dim light of the small night light we keep in the bathroom, I saw a large bottle of lotion and quickly pumped a generous amount onto my hands. I worked it over my fingers and hands, then deciding what I was doing was a good thing, I continued up my arms and past my elbows.

As I stood there in those few seconds, moisturizing, I felt like I was doing a good thing for myself, and then the moment came when I recognized the scent of what I was lathering onto my arms and hands.

That’s Not Lotion

What You Need to Know about Breastfeeding with a Tongue Tie or Lip Tie

My Experience with Lip and Tongue Ties

My son had trouble from the beginning latching on to breastfeed. When my milk came in three days after he was born, he was really struggling because my breasts were so full. (That can be difficult for any newborn even without ties).

I had a lactation consultant out and she watched us through the feeding and gave us some tips and gave us an A+. I guess because I had studied so much, I must have been compensating for any issues that were happening, because the outward perception was we were doing great.

By day five, I knew we were having a problem

7 Basic Breastfeeding Tips

You’re Not Alone

I’ve mentioned previously, that my breastfeeding journey with my son was atypical to say the least. For some mother and baby pairs, it truly is the easiest thing in the world. Whereas for others, it’s one monster short of a nightmare. You are not alone. Over 90% of mothers report having breastfeeding struggles in those early months.

So here are the breastfeeding basics, as well as some things I learned on my more difficult road. Again, I will emphasize, the struggle was totally worth the ultimate goal of exclusively breastfeeding, so I hope this will encourage new Mamas to stick with it!

15 Amazing Benefits of Breastfeeding

Note: In this article, many of the hyperlinks will take you to articles that support my research about breastfeeding. Happy reading!
Making Breastfeeding a Reality

Before the birth of my son, it was always my desire to exclusively breastfeed my baby. It never really occurred to me to do it any other way. As it turns out, the more I read and researched, the more pleased I became about this decision. If you have read about my breastfeeding journey with my son, you know that in the beginning I wasn’t able to make exclusive breastfeeding a reality. However, before my son was three months old, he was exclusively breastfeeding.

Scroll to Top